State changed PSSA testing rules for charter schools without federal approval
Rules change appears to have inflated success rate of some charter schools.
| Pennsylvania Education Secretary Ron Tomalis (DONNA FISHER/THE MORNING CALL) |
Gov. Tom Corbett's education chief changed the PSSA testing rules in a way that makes it easier for charter schools to meet federal benchmarks than traditional public schools.
Education Secretary Ron Tomalis' change, made without federal approval, might have skewed the results of the 2011-12 PSSA scores to make it appear charter schools were outperforming traditional public schools, according to a Morning Call review of publicly available test score data.
The U.S. Department of Education has final authority over any changes in how states grade public schools, school districts and any other "local education agency" under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Over the summer, the state Department of Education requested a change in how charter schools' test results are measured to determine adequate yearly progress under the law.
The state asked the federal agency for approval to apply the same rating measures it uses for school districts to charter schools. The testing rules are more lenient for school districts than they are for